The Little House.

"The little house first stood in the country, but gradually the city moved closer and closer": First Edition of Virginia Lee Burtons The Little House

The Little House.

Burton, Virginia Lee.

$12,500.00

Item Number: 2325

Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1942.

First edition of one of the rarest and most sought after children’s classics. Oblong quarto, original blue cloth. Light rubbing to the spine tips, a near fine copy in an excellent unrestored dust jacket that shows a small chip to the crown of the spine and some light wear. Small ink inscription opposite the title page. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.

"Once upon a time there was a Little House way out in the country. She was a pretty Little House and she was strong and well built." So begins Virginia Lee Burton's The Little House, winner of the prestigious Caldecott Medal in 1943. "Taking her cue from her small sons, Aristides and Michael, Burton chose subjects that would intrigue children [including] Mary Ann, the steam shovel [Burtons books] have heroes and heroines children can understand and enjoy, ingenious and satisfactory endings and lively illustrations. The books survive because they exhibit so effectively the elements most basic to childrens literature" (Silvey, 109-10).

First edition of this children’s classic with the date of 1939 on the title page. Oblong quarto, original tan cloth. A very good copy in a very good price-clipped dust jacket with some light expert restoration to the spine extremities. Housed in a custom clamshell box.

First edition, first issue with the date of 1939 on the title page. Oblong quarto, original tan cloth. Signed “greetings from Virginia Lee Burton” on the half-title page. An excellent near fine example in a near fine price-clipped dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Most rare and desirable signed by Virginia Lee Burton.

First British edition. Octavo, original cloth. Inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper in the year of publication, “To Jean Love Roald Dahl 20 May 1988.” The recipient is actress Jean Marsh, who among other things read Matilda, which was used for its audio book counterpart. Fine in a fine price-clipped dust jacket.